2020 MAC WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY ONE UPDATE
 
MAC Wrestling Brackets – Day One
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Live Updates – Track Wrestling

DeKALB, Ill. – After day one of the 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships, seven-time defending MAC Champion Missouri Tigers have posted the early lead as the Tigers have 112.5 team points for first place, along with four wrestlers competing in Championship matches on Sunday afternoon.
 
Missouri has four wrestlers slated for Sunday's Championship matches with No. 1 seed – Brock Mauller (149), No. 2 seed Dylan Wisman (184), along with No. 3 seeds Allan Hart (133) and Jarrett Jacques (157).  Mauller, Wisman and Jacques are all searching for their second consecutive MAC Championship title as all three won their respective weight classes last year.
 
Central Michigan has three wrestlers appearing in Championship matches tomorrow.  Representing the Chippewas are No. 1 seeds Drew Hildebrandt (125), Dresdon Simon (141) and Matt Stencel (285).  For Stencel, the Oregon, Ohio native is searching his third consecutive MAC Championship after winning the 285-weight class in both 2018 and 2019.
 
Host NIU has two wrestlers in Championship matches – No. 3 seed Izzak Olejnik (165) and No. 4 seed Brit Wilson (184), while Kent State also has two wrestlers in Championship matches – No. 1 seed Tim Rooney (133) and No. 3 seed Andrew McNally (174).
 
Newcomers to the MAC this year both Clarion and Rider also have two wrestlers in Championship matches.  Representing Clarion are No. 1 seed Greg Bulsak (197) and No. 2 seed Brock Zacherl (149).  Representing Rider are No. 1 seed Jesse Dellavecchia (157) and No. 2 seed Ethan Laird (197).
 
Five programs are also represented in Championship matches – Buffalo’s No. 1 seed Troy Keller (165), Cleveland State’s No. 2 seed Evan Cheek (141), Edinboro’s No. 2 seed Jon Spaulding (285), Old Dominion’s No. 3 seed Killian Cardinale (125) and Lock Haven’s No. 5 seed Jared Siegrist (174).
 
A total of 10 of the 15 MAC wrestling programs are represented with at least one wrestler appearing in a Championship match on Sunday.

Central Michigan is ranked second with 86.0 team points, while host NIU is third with 67.5 team points.  Rider is fourth with 66.5 team points, while Lock Haven stands fifth with 54.5 team points and Cleveland State ranks sixth with 50.0 team points.  

Missouri entered the MAC Wrestling Championships as the No. 24 ranked team in the nation with a 12-7 overall record, including 8-0 within the MAC. Missouri is seeking its eighth consecutive MAC Wrestling Championship.

The 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships conclude on Sunday, March 8 beginning at 1:00 pm ET/Noon CT from the Convocation Center on the campus of Northern Illinois University. Sunday's schedule begins with consolation quarterfinals at 1:00 pm ET/Noon CT and consolation semifinals at 1:45 pm ET/12:45 pm CT, followed by Championship Finals at 2:30 pm ET/1:30 pm CT.

Team Standings - Day One
1.  Missouri, 112.5
2.  Central Michigan, 86.0
3.  NIU, 67.5
4.  Rider, 66.5
5.  Lock Haven, 54.5
6.  Cleveland State, 50.0
7.  Old Dominion, 48.5
8.  Kent State, 43.0
9.  Buffalo, 41.0
10. Edinboro, 39.0
11. Clarion, 33.5
12. George Mason, 33.0
12. Ohio, 33.0
14. Bloomsburg, 27.0
15. SIUE, 15.0
 
2020 MAC Wrestling Championships Schedule of Events:
Sunday, March 8 (all times CT)
11:00 am    Doors open to public
12:00 pm    Consolation Quarterfinals (20 matches, 4 mats)
12:45 pm    Consolation Semifinals (20 matches, 4 mats)
1:30 pm      Championship Finals Parade & Face Off Introductions
1:40 pm      Championship Finals

2020 MAC Wrestling Championship Matches -- Sunday, March 8:
125:  No. 1 seed Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan) vs. No. 3 seed Killian Cardinale (Old Dominion)
133:  No. 1 seed Tim Rooney (Kent State) vs. No. 3 seed Allan Hart (Missouri)
141:  No. 1 seed Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) vs. No. 2 seed Evan Cheek (Cleveland State)
149:  No. 1 seed Brock Mauller (Missouri) vs. No. 2 seed Brock Zacherl (Clarion)
157:  No. 1 seed Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) vs. No. 3 seed Jarrett Jacques (Missouri)
165:  No. 1 seed Troy Keller (Buffalo) vs. No. 3 seed Izzak Olejnik (NIU)
174:  No. 3 seed Andrew McNally (Kent State) vs. No. 5 seed Jared Siegrist (Lock Haven)
184:  No. 2 seed Dylan Wisman (Missouri) vs. No. 4 seed Brit Wilson (NIU)
197:  No. 1 seed Greg Bulsak (Clarion) vs. No. 2 seed Ethan Laird (Rider)
285:  No. 1 seed Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) vs. No. 2 seed Jon Spaulding (Edinboro)
 
Team Updates:
Bloomsburg:
Wrestling Concludes Day One At MAC Championships; Four Huskies To Compete On Sunday

DeKALB, Ill. - The Bloomsburg University wrestling team concluded day one of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships on Saturday and will have four grapplers competing on Sunday for qualifying spots into the NCAA Division I National Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota, later this month. In the overall team standings, the Huskies are 14th with 27 team points after day one. Redshirt senior Trevor Allard, sophomore Alex Carida, redshirt freshman Josh Mason, and freshman Christian Gannone are still alive in their respective weight brackets and will be competing again on Sunday. All four suffered one loss on Saturday but took different paths in advancing to Sunday's action. Full Story...

Buffalo:
Keller Advances to Championship Match

DEKALB, IL – Troy Keller will wrestle for his second straight 165-lb. title at the Mid-American Conference Championships on Sunday after winning all three of his matches on Saturday on the first day of the MAC Championships hosted by Northern Illinois on Saturday. Three other Bulls also advanced to Sunday action looking to punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships. Keller cruised to a 19-0 technical fall over Central Michigan's Tracy Hubbard in his first match. However, the quarterfinal bout wasn't as easy for Keller.  Full Story...

Central Michigan:
Three Chippewas Will Wrestle For MAC Titles

DeKALB, Ill. – Three Chippewas – Drew Hildebrandt (125 pounds), Dresden Simon (141) and Matt Stencel (285) – went unbeaten on Saturday on the first day of the tournament and will wrestle for the title in their respective weight classes on Sunday.  They are three of seven Chippewas still alive in the tournament. CMU's Drew Marten (133), Logan Parks (157), Jake Lowell (174) and Landon Pelham (197) are in the consolation bracket in their respective weight classes. The Chippewas collected 86 points and stand in second place behind No. 23 Missouri, the seven-time defending MAC champion. The Tigers have 112.5 points. Host Northern Illinois (67.5) is third in the 15-team field.  Full Story...

Clarion:
Bulsak, Zacherl Head to MAC Finals

DEKALB, Ill. – Two Golden Eagle wrestlers clinched spots in the conference finals as well as berths in the NCAA Tournament, as Clarion enjoyed an exciting day at the 2020 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships.  Clarion currently sits in 11th after one day.  Brock Zacherl and Greg Bulsak became the program's first-ever MAC finalists by going undefeated on Saturday, with Bulsak winning three matches and Zacherl two en route to the finals.  Zacherl will face fourth-ranked and top-seeded Brock Mauller of Missouri in the 149 pound finals, while Bulsak will take on 16th-ranked Ethan Laird of Rider at 197 pounds.  Full Story...

Cleveland State:
Cheek in Final as Seven Vikings Advance to Day 2

DeKalb, Ill. - Redshirt senior Evan Cheek advanced to Sunday's 141-pound championship bout to highlight the Cleveland State University wrestling team's action on the opening day of the Mid-American Conference Championships Saturday inside Northern Illinois' Convocation Center. A strong opening day for CSU saw nine of the 10 Vikings win at least one bout while seven of the 10 advanced to the final day of the Championships Sunday. Cleveland State, making its debut in the event in its first season in the MAC, is currently sixth in the 15-team field with 50 points. Cheek began his day by with a victory over his opponent from Buffalo at 141 pounds. He netted a first-period takedown to grab the lead and would maintain the shutout in a 3-0 win. Cheek then proceeded to win in sudden-victory over his seeded George Mason opponent, 3-1.  Full Story...

Edinboro:
Spaulding to Wrestle for Heavyweight Crown as Day One of MAC Championships Wraps Up

DEKALB, Ill. – After a slow start, the Edinboro wrestling team has climbed into 10th place at the end of day one of the 2020 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships. In addition, five Fighting Scots are still alive and will compete on day two, including Jon Spaulding, who has reached the finals at heavyweight. Northern Illinois is hosting the two-day event.  Spaulding would be the lone Fighting Scot to reach the semifinals.  The junior won his first match of the day, a 10-2 major decision over Spencer Berthhold of Kent State, then used a takedown in sudden victory for a 3-1 decision over Northern Illinois' Max Ihry. Full Story...

George Mason:
Several Patriots Continue Quest for NCAA Qualifiers at MAC Championships

DeKALB, Ill. -- Masons' first day of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship is in the books. The Patriots had two wrestlers compete in semifinal matches and four remain in competition heading into the final day tomorrow at Northern Illinois University. At 149 pounds, Colston DiBlasi won by technical fall over Bloomsburg's Shawn Orem, 19-2 (3:31) in a first-round match-up. In the quarterfinals, DiBlasi won by a 5-2 decision against McCoy Kent of Illinois. Brock Zacheri, the 2-seed, defeated DiBlaisi in sudden victory, 6-4, in the semifinals.  Full Story...

Kent State:
Rooney and McNally into Sunday's Title Bouts

DeKALB, ILL- Tim Rooney (133) and Andrew McNally (174) will wrestle for their respective Mid-American Conference titles to help lead Kent State after day one of the 2020 Mid-American Conference Championships. Rooney went a perfect 3-0 on Saturday to punch his ticket to Sunday's title match, while Andrew McNally went 2-0 after a first-round bye. Both have already secured a spot in the NCAA tournament, with the conference receiving four bids in both weight classes.  Full Story...

Lock Haven:
MAC Wrestling Championships: Siegrist powers way to finals

DEKALB, Ill. – Jared Siegrist (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) went 3-0 and powered his way to the 174-pound finals in leading the Lock Haven University wrestling team on Day 1 of the 2020 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships. By way of his spot in the 174 finals, Siegrist also qualified his spot in the 2020 NCAA Division I Championships later this month.  Today marked Lock Haven's MAC Tournament debut. This is the first season in the MAC for LHU after last spring's historic expansion that saw all the former Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) teams move over to the MAC.  Full Story...

Missouri:
Mizzou Wrestling Leads MAC Championship After Day One

DeKALB, Ill. – Mizzou Wrestling leads the 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships with 112.5 points following day one of action at the NIU Convocation Center Saturday (March 7). The Tigers have four wrestlers in tomorrow's finals and are 26.5 points ahead of second-place Central Michigan as they will look to wrap up their ninth consecutive conference tournament title Sunday, beginning at noon.  Into the finals for Mizzou are the following:  RS Sophomore Allan Hart – 133 Pounds; Sophomore Brock Mauller – 149 Pounds; Sophomore Jarrett Jacques – 157 Pounds; RS Senior Dylan Wisman – 184 Pounds. Mauller, Jacques and Wisman will all be looking for their second consecutive MAC Titles during tomorrow's finals, which begin at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Hart is looking for his first MAC title. All four of the Tiger Style wrestlers in the finals have clinched automatic berths to the NCAA Championships as well.  Full Story...

Northern Illinois:
NIU Third After Strong Start at MAC Champions

DEKALB, Ill. – The NIU University wrestling team sits in third place and advanced two grapplers to the championships as the Huskies posted an outstanding effort in the Convocation Center on the first day of the MAC Saturday. Redshirt-freshman Izzak Olejnik and sophomore Brit Wilson navigated day one unscathed and the Huskie duo will be competing in the finals tomorrow afternoon beginning at 1:30 p.m. Olejnik provided the biggest victory of the day, earning a 6-3 decision over No. 2-seed Peyton Mocco of Missouri at 165. The redshirt-freshman withstood Mocco's many attacks and Missouri's multiple official challenges throughout the bout to pull off the win and advance. Trailing 3-0 heading into the final period, Olejnik earned a reversal and a two-point nearfall to give him a 4-3 advantage. He earned another two-point nearfall to take the match. Full Story...

Ohio:
Five Ohio Wrestlers Left Competing in Consolation Bracket After Day One of 2020 MAC Championships

DEKALB, Ill. -- Five Ohio wrestlers are left competing in the consolation bracket following the opening day of the 2020 Mid-American Conference Championships, which took place this afternoon at the Convocation Center on the campus of Northern Illinois. As a team, the Bobcats are tied for 12th place with George Mason with 33 points.  Two Bobcats reached the semifinals of the championship bracket of their respective weight classes before being defeated in the semis. Redshirt senior Zac Carson (Akron, Ohio) opened with an 11-2 win by major decision over Edinboro redshirt sophomore PJ Gohn and earned a 13-3 win by major decision over Lock Haven redshirt senior Alex Klucker in the quarterfinals before losing in the 157-pound semifinals by fall in 4:57 to Missouri sophomore Jarrett Jacques.  Full Story...

Old Dominion:
Cardinale Advances to MAC Finals, Team Seventh After Day One

DEKALB, Ill. – No. 15 Killian Cardinale will be wrestling for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship at 125 pounds, while five other members of the Old Dominion wrestling team are still competing in the consolation brackets after day one of the 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships, hosted by Northern Illinois. Cardinale earned a spot in the 125-pound finals after winning all three of his bouts on day one. The Bristow, Va. native started his day with a bang, as he pinned Buffalo's Jordan Reyes in just under four minutes of action. He then earned an 8-6 win by decision over Clarion's Jake Gromacki in the quarterfinal round.  Full Story...

Rider:
Dellavecchia, Laird Advance to MAC Championship Matches

DEKALB, IL – Jesse Dellavecchia and Ethan Laird advanced the title bouts at 157 and 197 lbs., respectively, and the Rider University wrestling team sits fourth following Day 1 at the MAC Championships, hosted by Northern Illinois. With their success already and the MAC's allocation of NCAA Qualifiers, Dellavecchia and Laird have both punched their tickets to NCAA's. Four other Broncs – Jonathan Tropea, Dean Sherry, George Walton and Ryan Cloud also remain in the hunt for NCAA Qualifiers through the consolation brackets at 125, 174, 184 and 285 lbs., respectively.  Full Story...

SIUE:
Three SIUE Wrestlers Advance to Day Two of MAC Championships

DeKALB, Ill. - Three SIUE wrestlers are still in contention after Saturday's action at the MAC Championships. Tyshawn Williams advanced to the semifinals but dropped the semifinal match to top-seeded Brock Mauller, of Missouri, 6-4. Justin Ruffin won his first match over Buffalo's John Aceri 15-3 but was edged 6-4 in the quarterfinals by Old Dominion's Larry Early. Ruffin then advanced through the consolation bracket with a 6-2 victory over Taylor Ortz of Clarion.  Full Story...